ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (Reuters) -- Pakistani authorities held leading opposition politicians, including hundreds of Islamists, in detention on Saturday to stop them protesting against U.S. President George W. Bush's visit to the country.

The leader of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) Islamist alliance, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, was detained at his home in Labore a few days ago, the second time he has been detained within two weeks.

On Saturday police detained up to 350 of the Islamist parties' local-level leaders in towns dotted around the country to prevent them organising rallies, Liaqat Baluch, an MMA member of the National Assembly, told Reuters.

Baluch said he expected a protest in the eastern city of Lahore to go ahead despite the detentions.

Police also detained former cricket hero turned politician Imran Khan at his residence to stop him leading a demonstration in Rawalpindi, the garrison town next to the capital, Islamabad.

Khan, who retains a high profile despite his Tehrik-i-Insaaf party's meagre support, says U.S. support for Musharraf, who came to power in a military coup in 1999, is delaying the restoration of democracy in Pakistan.

For most of you DUers who don't follow cricket, Imran Khan is one of the sport's biggest legends. This would be something akin to putting Michael Jordan under house arrest (and that's not an exaggeration)

There are reports Pakistani police have placed opposition politician and former cricket legend Imran Khan under house arrest.

A spokeman for Mr Khan says the arrest comes ahead of a planned protest against the visit of US President George W Bush.

Saifullah Khan Nyazee, a spokesman for Mr Khan's Movement for Justice party told AFP, Mr Khan was leaving a friend's house in the early hours of Saturday when police served him with a detention order.

Mr Nyazee said police then drove Mr Khan to his house overlooking a lake near Islamabad and around a dozen policemen were standing guard to stop him leading the planned rally in nearby Rawalpindi.

Meanwhile anti-United States Islamist parties have promised more protests as Mr Bush prepares to round off a South Asian tour.

Mr Bush has been urging President General Pervez Musharraf to do more in the war on terrorism.

Mr Bush arrived in Islamabad a day after a suicide car bomber killed an American diplomat and two other people outside the US consulate in the southern city of Karachi.

(AP) A game of cricket is good for U.S.-Pakistani relations, but that's about as far as it goes. President Bush says baseball is where his heart is.

After a day of meetings, Bush rolled up his shirt sleeves Saturday afternoon and headed out to the lawn of the U.S. Embassy to play the baseball-like sport with Pakistani students.

He took his turn at bat after a few pointers from Shahryar Khan, chairman of Pakistan's Cricket Board, and Inzamam-ul-Haq, captain of Pakistan's Cricket Team.

Bush took three practice swings with the bat, which is flat on one side and humped on the other. He pretended to knock dirt from his shoes like a baseball player stepping up to the plate, then strode up to the wickets for a few swings.

The president connected with the first pitch, was hit in the shoulder by the second one, and sent a third ball sailing into a tree.

"Put something on that thing," Bush called out to the bowler, the equivalent of a pitcher in baseball. "Do I have my elbow right?"

9. Amen -- I keep think of the Psalm and other places where God talks about

His fury at those who "catch the poor" and it reminds me of the ones in Guantanamo who were sold to the US military by either their enemies or those who wanted the bounty money. One man said they caught us and sold us as some people catch and sell a fish.

The images of the crucifix in the real victims of this horror being made to stand in a crucifix pose, smeared with mud or feces and mocked forced to wear women's underwear and the Israeli secret service torture of the "Palestinian hang" with arms forced out of their joints by hanging people with their arms handcuffed in back and causing death by asphyxiation the way crucifixion did. Why can't fundamentalist who do know the Bible so well can't see this and protest the torture and murder of innocents in ways so familiar to the Passion of Christ is beyond me.

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